Multiple internal reflection face-pumped laser

Claim 2

A laser device comprising an elongated homogeneous body of an active laser medium, said laser body having a longitudinal axis and at least two optically plane faces extending substantially parallel to each other and to said longitudinal axis, pumping means for impinging electromagnetic radiation upon at least one of said optically plane faces to excite atoms of said laser body to a metastable state thereby producing a population inversion therein, means for passing a fluid coolant across at least one of said optically plane faces to extract generated heat within said laser body, said fluid coolant producing diverse thermal zones in said laser body between said optically plane faces, and means for passing coherent electromagnetic radiation through said pumped laser body in an off-axial direction at an angle of incidence relative to said optically plane faces of said laser body sufficient to produce a plurality of total internal reflections by each of said optically plane faces of said laser body, individual rays of said coherent electromagnetic radiation passing through each of said diverse thermal zones in said laser body to average the optical environment traversed by each ray and thereby minimize phase distortion in the wavefront of said coherent electromagnetic radiation produced by said laser body.

Claim 3

A laser device according to claim 1 wherein said off-axial Coherent electromagnetic radiation is introduced over an area relative to the angle of impingement upon said optically plane faces to irradiate the entire volume of said laser body in a single traverse through said laser body.

Claim 4

A laser device according to claim 1 wherein said means for passing coherent electromagnetic radiation through said laser body are reflectors disposed at opposite ends of said laser body and further including means for intermittently interrupting the passage of coherent electromagnetic radiation between said reflectors.

Claim 5

A laser device according to claim 3 wherein said means for intermittently interrupting the passage of coherent electromagnetic radiation between said reflectors include means disposed in the optical path of said coherent electromagnetic radiation for polarizing said coherent electromagnetic radiation and means for intermittently rotating the field of polarization of said coherent electromagnetic radiation.

Claim 6

A laser device according to claim 1 wherein said fluid coolant is water, and said coherent electromagnetic radiation is introduced into said laser body by a pair of prisms secured to opposite ends of said laser body with an optically contacting cement, said prism having an edge disposition relative to said optically plane faces of said laser body to impinge light thereon at an angle of incidence in excess of 45*.

Claim 7

A laser device comprising an elongated generally rectangular cross-sectional area homogeneous body of an active laser medium having a longitudinal axis and at least two optically plane faces extending substantially parallel to each other and to said longitudinal axis, pumping means incident upon at least one of said optically plane faces to excite atoms of said laser body to a metastable state thereby producing a population inversion within said laser body, means for flowing a fluid coolant across said optically plane faces to extract generated heat within said laser body, said fluid coolant producing diverse thermal zones between said optically plane faces of said laser body, means for directing coherent electromagnetic radiation in an off-axial direction through said pumped laser body at an angle relative to said optically plane faces to produce a plurality of total internal reflections of said coherent electromagnetic radiation by each of said optically plane faces of said laser body, said coherent electromagnetic radiation passing through an area of said laser body disposed completely on a first side of the central axis of said laser body, and reflective means disposed at the end of said laser body to return said coherent electromagnetic radiation through said laser body in an off-axial direction at an angle relative to said optically plane faces to produce a plurality of total internal reflections of said coherent electromagnetic radiation by each of said optically plane faces of said laser body, said reflective means laterally shifting each coherent electromagnetic radiation ray incident thereon by an equal span along said laser body to return said reflected coherent electromagnetic radiation along an area of said laser body disposed completely on a second side of the central axis of said laser body, individual rays of said coherent electromagnetic radiation passing through each of said diverse thermal zones in said laser body to average the optical environment traversed by each ray and thereby minimize phase distortion in the wavefront of said coherent electromagnetic radiation produced by said laser body.

Claim 8

A laser device comprising an elongated generally rectangular cross-sectional area homogeneous body of an active laser medium having a longitudinal axis and at least two optically plane faces extending substantially parallel to each other and to said longitudinal axis, pumping means incident upon at least one of said optically plane faces to excite atoms of said laser body to a metastable state thereby producing a population inversion within said laser body, means for flowing a fluid coolant across said optically plane faces to extract generated heat within said laser body, said fluid coolant producing diverse thermal zones between said optically plane faces of said laser body, means for directing coherent electromagnetic radiation in an off-axial direction through said pumped laser body at an angle relative to said optically plane faces to produce a plurality of total internal reflections of said coherent electromagnetic radiation by each of said optically plane faces of said laser body, said coherent electromagnetic radiation passing through an area of said laser body disposed completely on a first side of the central axis of said laser body, and reflective means disposed at the end of said laser body to return said coherent electromagnetic radiation through said laser body in an off-axial direction at an angle relative to said optically plane faces to produce a plurality of total internal reflections of said coherent electromagnetic radiation by each of said optically plane faces of said laser body, said reflective means laterally shifting each coherent electromagnetic radiation ray incident thereon by an equal span along said laser body to return said reflected coherent electromagnetic radiation along an area of said laser body disposed completely on a second side of the central axis of said laser body, individual rays of said coherent electromagnetic radiation passing through each of said diverse thermal zones in said laser body to average the optical environment traversed by each ray and thereby minimize phase distortion in the wavefront of said coherent electromagnetic radiation produced by said laser body.

Claim 9

A laser device according to claim 6 wherein said reflective means is a rotating prism.

Claim 10

A laser device comprising an elongated generally rectangular cross-sectional area body of an active laser medium having a longitudinal axis and at least two optically plane faces extending substantially parallel to each other and to said longitudinal axis, pumping means incident upon at least one of said optically plane faces to excite atoms of saId laser body to a metastable state thereby producing a population inversion within said laser body, means for flowing a fluid coolant across at least one said optically plane face to extract generated heat within said laser body, said fluid coolant producing substantially parallel diverse thermal zones between said optically plane faces of said laser body, means for directing coherent electromagnetic radiation in an off-axial direction through a predetermined fractional area of said pumped laser body at an angle relative to said optically plane faces to produce a plurality of total internal reflections of said coherent electromagnetic radiation by each of said optically plane faces of said laser body, and reflective means disposed along the ends of said laser body to multiply traverse said coherent electromagnetic radiation through adjacent fractional portions of said laser body in an off-axial direction, individual rays of said coherent electromagnetic radiation passing through each of the diverse thermal zones in said laser body to average the optical environment traversed by each ray and thereby minimize phase distortion in the wavefront of said coherent electromagnetic radiation produced by said laser body.

Claim 11

A laser device comprising an elongated generally rectangular cross-sectional area body of an active laser medium having a longitudinal axis and at least two optically plane faces extending substantially parallel to each other and to said longitudinal axis, pumping means incident upon at least one of said optically plane faces to excite atoms of saId laser body to a metastable state thereby producing a population inversion within said laser body, means for flowing a fluid coolant across at least one said optically plane face to extract generated heat within said laser body, said fluid coolant producing substantially parallel diverse thermal zones between said optically plane faces of said laser body, means for directing coherent electromagnetic radiation in an off-axial direction through a predetermined fractional area of said pumped laser body at an angle relative to said optically plane faces to produce a plurality of total internal reflections of said coherent electromagnetic radiation by each of said optically plane faces of said laser body, and reflective means disposed along the ends of said laser body to multiply traverse said coherent electromagnetic radiation through adjacent fractional portions of said laser body in an off-axial direction, individual rays of said coherent electromagnetic radiation passing through each of the diverse thermal zones in said laser body to average the optical environment traversed by each ray and thereby minimize phase distortion in the wavefront of said coherent electromagnetic radiation produced by said laser body.

Claim 12

A laser device according to claim 8 wherein said reflective means are spaced apart from the nonreflective lateral faces of said laser body to inhibit a coherent electromagnetic radiation traversal of said laser body adjacent said nonreflective lateral faces.

Claim 13

A laser device according to claim 8 wherein said reflective means are at least one triangular prism disposed at opposite ends of said laser body.